scholarly journals Transforming health professionals into population health change agents

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Naccarella ◽  
Iain Butterworth ◽  
Timothy Moore
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
Short Courses ◽  
Evaluation Approaches

<em>Background</em>. With the recognition that professional education has not kept pace with the challenges facing the health and human service system, there has been a move to transformative education and learning professional development designed to expand the number of enlightened and empowered change agents with the competence to implement changes at an individual, organisation and systems level. <br /><em>Design and Methods.</em> Since 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria, Australia, in collaboration with The University of Melbourne’s School of Population and Global Health, has delivered seven population health short courses aimed to catalyse participants’ transformation into population health change agents. This paper presents key learnings from a combination of evaluation data from six population health short courses using a transformative learning framework from a 2010 independent international commission for health professionals that was designed to support the goals of transformative and interdependent health professionals. Participatory realist evaluation approaches and qualitative methods were used. <br /><em>Results</em>. Evaluation findings reveal that there were mixed outcomes in facilitating participants’ implementation of population health approaches, and their transformation into population health agents upon their return to their workplaces. Core enablers, barriers and requirements, at individual, organisational and system levels influence the capability of participants to implement population health approaches. The iterative and systemic evolution of the population health short courses, from a one off event to a program of inter-dependent modules, demonstrates sustained commitment by the short course developers and organisers to the promotion of transformative population health learning outcomes. <br /><em>Conclusions</em>: To leverage this commitment, recognising that professional development is not an event but part of an ongoing transformative process, suggestions to further align recognition of population health professional development programs are presented.

scholarly journals Evaluation of population health short courses: implications for developing and evaluating population health professional development initiatives

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 218
Author(s):  
Lucio Naccarella ◽  
Louise Greenstock ◽  
Iain Butterworth
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
System Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Short Course ◽  
Short Courses ◽  
Evaluation Approaches

Population health as an approach to planning is key to improving the health and well-being of whole populations and to reduce inequities within and between population groups. The Victorian Department of Health North and West Metropolitan Region, in collaboration with The University of Melbourne (School of Population Health), have delivered four annual population health short courses. The short courses were designed to equip participants with knowledge and skills to implement population health approaches upon their return to their workplaces. For three consecutive years, online surveys (n=41) and semi-structured interviews (n=35), underpinned by participatory and realist evaluation approaches, were conducted to obtain the perceptions and experiences of the population health short course participants. Evaluation findings indicate that participants’ understanding of population health concepts increased; however, there were mixed outcomes in assisting participants’ implementation of population health approaches upon their return to their workplaces. A core list of perceived requirements, enablers and barriers emerged at an individual, organisational and system level as influencing the capability of participants to implement population health approaches. Evaluation recommendations and actions taken to revise short course iterations are presented, providing evidence that the evaluation approaches were appropriate and increased the use of evaluation learnings. Implications of evaluation findings for professional development practice (i.e. shift from a ‘Course’ as a one-off event to a Population Health ‘Program’ of inter-dependent components) and evaluation (i.e. participatory realist evaluation approaches) are presented.

scholarly journals Key lessons for designing health literacy professional development courses

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Naccarella ◽  
Bernice Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Design Framework ◽  
Future Health

Health literacy courses for health professionals have emerged in response to health professionals’ perceived lack of understanding of health literacy issues, and their failure to routinely adopt health literacy practices. Since 2013 in Victoria, Australia, the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health has delivered an annual health literacy demonstration training course that it developed. Course development and delivery partners included HealthWest Partnership and cohealth. The courses are designed to develop the health literacy knowledge, skills and organisational capacity of the health and community services sector in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne. This study presents key learnings from evaluation data from three health literacy courses using Wenger’s professional educational learning design framework. The framework has three educational learning architecture components (engagement, imagination and alignment) and four educational learning architecture dimensions (participation, emergent, local/global, identification). Participatory realist evaluation approaches and qualitative methods were used. The evaluations revealed that the health literacy courses are developing leadership in health literacy, building partnerships among course participants, developing health literacy workforce knowledge and skills, developing ways to use and apply health literacy resources and are serving as a catalyst for building organisational infrastructure. Although the courses were not explicitly developed or implemented using Wenger’s educational learning design pedagogic features, the course structure (i.e. facilitation role of course coordinators, providing safe learning environments, encouraging small group work amongst participants, requiring participants to conduct mini-projects and sponsor organisation buy-in) provided opportunities for engagement, imagination and alignment. Wenger’s educational learning design framework can inform the design of future key pedagogic features of health literacy courses. What is known about the topic? Health professionals are increasingly participating in health literacy professional development courses. What does this paper add? This paper provides key lessons for designing health literacy professional development courses by reflecting upon Wenger’s professional educational learning design framework. What are the implications for practitioners? To ensure health professionals are receiving evidence-informed health literacy professional education, we encourage future health literacy courses be designed, implemented and evaluated using existing professional educational learning design frameworks.

scholarly journals Transforming future public health professionals through open and distance learning (ODeL)

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-165
Author(s):  
Satwinder Rehal
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
International Health ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Transformative Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Training

Purpose Open and distance e-learning (ODeL) practices have substantial contributions to make in achieving societal development goals. The challenge however remains with enhancing skilling, training and educating professionals who will contribute to this progress. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how transformative education and training in global health can be undertaken through ODeL in increasing the quality, quantity and relevance of health professional education and training. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a descriptive qualitative case study of the International Health and Development Course offered by the University of the Philippines Open University and is thus limited in its scope from other courses in the program. Findings Transformative education and training through ODeL has the potential of increasing the quality, quantity and relevance of health professionals training. However more critical assessment of transformative learning outcomes is needed via rigorous methods of objectifying such outcomes. Achieving transformative health education and training requires rigorous engagement in constructivist-oriented experiential learning that allow learners to be accustomed to significant interactions achieved by involvement in problem-based methods accomplished through small group e-tivities in order to demonstrate applicability in the real work context. Originality/value The outcome of this paper is relevant to institutions in Asia that offer ODeL-based global health programs through open knowledge systems in order to produce graduates who are more responsive to the evolving health needs amid twenty-first century global health challenges.

scholarly journals Role of Postgraduate Education in the Provision of Social and Professional Mobility of Health Specialists

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariiana Rymarchuk ◽  
Liubomyr Vakaliuk
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Professional Knowledge ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Interactive Methods ◽  
Professional Mobility

Nowadays the development of a modern information society, the intensity of accumulating the latest professional information and systematic obsolescence of professional knowledge necessitate a constant and continuous learning of a 21st-century specialist. The transition to lifelong learning, when basic education is periodically subjected to additions and adjustments that requires graduates of higher education institutions to master professional knowledge, as well as to form social and professional mobility, is now recognized by the analysts as a solution of this problem. According to researchers, social and professional mobility of health specialists consists in their ability to overcome stereotypes, assimilate new technologies and solve professional problems in accordance with modern socio-cultural and economic conditions. In Ukraine, the development of social and professional mobility of future health specialists is directly related to the implementation of the system of continuous professional development of health professionals. The introduction of the problem-solving techniques during postgraduate study enhances the professional training of doctors, that, in its turn, will allow them to effectively use knowledge gained in daily practice. Interactive methods such as case method, role playing games, management games, brainstorming, disputes, discussions, critical incident techniques, project-based learning, competitive learning, small-group learning with elements of management game or carousel strategy, method of interdisciplinary conference with elements of discussion are considered as an effective tool for problem-based learning within health professional education. Thus, the contribution of postgraduate education to the provision of continuous professional development of health professionals creates optimal conditions for the formation of social and professional mobility of health specialists.

ПСИХОЛОГО-ПЕДАГОГІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПРОФЕСІЙНОГО НАВЧАННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНИХ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ

1970 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 232-241
Author(s):  
Марина Лапіна
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
The Future

Статтю присвячено проблемам професійного навчання соціальних працівників, зокрема розглянуто психолого-педагогічні аспекти процесу підготовки висококваліфікованих фахівців. Зазначено що в професійній психології та педагогіці набуває поширення компетентнісний підхід до сучасної освіти. Акцентовано увагу на особистісно-орієнтованому та психолого-акмеологічному напрямках професійної освіти та навчання. Особистісні якості фахівця розглядаються як метапрофесійні компетенції, що забезпечують якість праці майбутнього соціального працівника. На основі аналізу специфіки підготовки фахівців соціономічних професій окреслено загальні напрями формування професійних компетенцій соціальних працівників: пріоритет професійно-особистісного розвитку для досягнення високого рівня професіоналізму фахівця; формування психологічної, особистісної та рефлексивної компетентності; практична зорієнтованість процесу навчання. Розглянуто методи та технології активного формування психологічної та особистісної компетентності фахівця в процесі професійного навчання, а саме методика контекстного (знаково-контекстного) навчання та психолого-акмеологічні методи та процедури професійного розвитку. Стверджується, що включення до навчального процесу інноваційних, заснованих на взаємодії педагога та учня, психолого-педагогічних технологій активного навчання має формувати особистісні зони розвитку майбутніх фахівців, удосконалювати способи та засоби професійного становлення, що значно підвищує якість професійного навчання соціальних працівників. The article deals with the problems of vocational training of social workers. They are particularly considered with psychological and pedagogical aspects of training highly qualified specialists. It specifies that competence-based approach to modern education gets spreading in the professional psychology and pedagogy. The article is accented on personality-oriented and psycho-akmeological directions existing in the psychology of professional education and training. Personal qualities of the professional are considered as metaprofessional competences which ensure the future social worker’s quality of work. The general directions of formation professional competence of social workers are identified on the base of the analyses of the specific professional training socionomic professions: priority of vocational and personality development for achievement a high level of professionalism; formation of the psychological, personal and reflective competence; practical orientation of the learning process. The methods and technologies of active formation of psychological and personality’s competence of the specialist during the vocational training are reviewed in the article, specifically the method and technique of signed-contextual learning and psycho-akmeological methods and procedures of professional development. It is alleged that the inclusion in the educational process of preparation innovational, psychological and pedagogical techniques of active learning, based on the interaction between the teacher and the student, should generated personal’s development zones of the future professionals, refine the methods and means of the professional development that significantly improves the quality of social worker’s professional training.

Reflective Practice in Advising: Introduction to the Column

Relay Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 293-295
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Global Community ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Community Of Learning ◽  
Reflection On Action

Welcome to the second reflective practice column where we are pleased to share another series of active advisors’ voices with our professional community. The first column of Reflective Practice in Advising in Volume 1(1) became a prelude for creating a global community of learning advisors with the aim of building a platform to share our professional development experiences and further seek opportunities for growth. As in Issue 1, in this issue of Relay Journal, all the contributors are engaged in a different advising context with various sociocultural backgrounds, but each of the case studies illustrates how their reflective practice enables learning advisors to continue exploring potential growth at any point in their career. In other words, the journey of becoming a learning advisor is ever-lasting, as long as the learning advisor is willingly seeking an opportunity for transformative learning. The post-publication reflective dialogues in Issue 1, although experimental, were a great success. They triggered active discussions among learning advisors, which lead to further reflection-on-action and reflection-for-action (Farrell, 2015) among the contributors. These open and collaborative dialogues across the sociocultural boundaries exemplify professional development for learning advisors.

On Advisor Education: Evaluating Departmental Training and Professional Development Practices of Academic Staff in a Japanese University

Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 271-291
Author(s):  
Huw Davies
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Realist Evaluation ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
Research Issue ◽  
Training Aids ◽  
The People ◽  
The University ◽  
Initial Research

This study is an evaluation of the professional development (PD) programme for learning advisors employed in the self-access centre at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan. The research issue investigated was whether the PD activities of advisors allow them to provide appropriate support to students at the University. The implementation of policies, the people and the setting were all considered in building an understanding of what may make the programme work. The framework used to understand this programme is realist evaluation (Pawson & Tilley, 1997), in which theories related to the initial research issue were refined and developed to offer new perspectives. Results suggest that initial training aids advisors in supporting students, but that future implementation decisions are needed for the mentoring element of the programme and on whether more peer observation should take place. The implication that informal discussion among the workgroup and the freedom to choose personal PD journeys are fundamental drivers of effective practice is a finding that may be applied to other teacher and advisor education settings.

scholarly journals Patterns of use and perceived value of social media for population health among population health stakeholders: a cross-sectional web-based survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungwon Yoon ◽  
Sharon Wee ◽  
Vivian S. Y. Lee ◽  
Jing Lin ◽  
Julian Thumboo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Preventive Care ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Time Investment ◽  
Patterns Of Use

Abstract Background Although existing studies have described patterns of social media use in healthcare, most are focused on health professionals in one discipline. Population health requires a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure diversity and to include diverse stakeholders. To date, what is known about using social media in population health is focused on its potential as a communication tool. This study aims to investigate patterns of use and perceived value of social media usage among stakeholders in population health practice, policy, or research. Methods We conducted a web-based survey of delegates attending the Singapore Population Health Conversations and Workshop. We designed a 24-item questionnaire to assess 1) social media use in terms of type of platform and frequency of use; 2) perceptions of social media relevance and impact on population health; and 3) top three areas in population health that would benefit from social media. We used descriptive and logistic regression analyses to assess the relationships between variables. Results Of the 308 survey respondents, 97.7% reported that they use social media in some form. Messaging (96.8%) was the most dominant activity when using social media. Challenges in implementing social media for population health were time investment by health care professionals (56.2%) and patient adoption (52.9%). The top three population health areas that would benefit most from using social media were the promotion of healthy behaviors (60.7%), community engagement (47.7%), and preventive care (40.6%). Older respondents (> = 40 years) were less likely to view social media as useful for the promotion of healthy behaviors (OR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.19–0.60). Non-social/healthcare professionals were more likely to consider social media to be useful for community engagement (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.10–2.76). For preventive care, older respondents (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.32–0.82) and non-social/healthcare professionals were less likely to view social media as useful (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.38–0.97). Conclusions Our findings suggest that it may be important to select the specific care areas that would benefit most from using social media. The time investment needed by population health professionals should be fully addressed in planning to maximize the application and potential value of social media.

scholarly journals Advancing the Population Needs-Based Health Workforce Planning Methodology: A Simulation Tool for Country Application

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 2113
Author(s):  
James Asamani ◽  
Christmal Christmals ◽  
Gerda Reitsma
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Workforce Planning ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Simulation Tool ◽  
Flow Process ◽  
Health Workforce Planning

Although the conceptual underpinnings of needs-based health workforce planning have developed over the last two decades, lingering gaps in empirical models and lack of open access tools have partly constrained its uptake in health workforce planning processes in countries. This paper presents an advanced empirical framework for the need-based approach to health workforce planning with an open-access simulation tool in Microsoft® Excel to facilitate real-life health workforce planning in countries. Two fundamental mathematical models are used to quantify the supply of, and need for, health professionals, respectively. The supply-side model is based on a stock-and-flow process, and the need-side model extents a previously published analytical frameworks using the population health needs-based approach. We integrate the supply and need analyses by comparing them to establish the gaps in both absolute and relative terms, and then explore their cost implications for health workforce policy and strategy. To illustrate its use, the model was used to simulate a real-life example using midwives and obstetricians/gynaecologists in the context of maternal and new-born care in Ghana. Sensitivity analysis showed that if a constant level of health was assumed (as in previous works), the need for health professionals could have been underestimated in the long-term. Towards universal health coverage, the findings reveal a need to adopt the need-based approach for HWF planning and to adjust HWF supply in line with population health needs.

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